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Introduction of outdoor entertainment including bowling, primitive amusement rides, music and dancing.
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The first known game in which fans paid to attend was held at Fashion Race Course in Queens, New YorK. It was a baseball game between two teams in the New York City area.
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The National Collegiate Atheltic Association was officially formed to govern collegiate athletics.
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Development of recording of sound on motion picture film.
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The first commercial radio stations with regularly scheduled broadcasts were heard.
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RCA establishes the National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
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Farnsworth transmits first electronic television picture; receives patent.
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The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) was founded.
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Approximately three-fourths of amusement parks close. The Stock Market Crash leads to the Great Depression.
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Lou Gehrig became the first athlete ever to appear on a Wheaties box.
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First television is sold.
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The All American girls professional baseball league was formed while many major league baseball players were serving in WWII.
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Televisions are in over 1,000,000 homes
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The first major endorsement deal for a feamle athlete. Wilson Sporting Goods signed golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias to an endorsement contract worth 100,000 per year
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Color television is introduced
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Disneyland in Anaheim, California opens costing $17 million to build. The first national theme park drew 3.8 million visitors the first season.
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Over 100 million television sets can be found in homes around the world.
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First Six Flags opens in Texas, the first regional theme park.
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Blue Ribbon Sports, an atheletic footwear company, was founded by Philip H. Knight. In 1972, this company becomes Nike.
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The Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida opens costing nearly $375 million to build.
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Title IX is enacted, mandating equal access to educational opportunities for men and women. This legislation creates new opportunities for women in sports as athletes, coaches and administrators.
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Rich Foods becomes the first company to pay for the right to have their name on a venue. Rich Foods agreed to pay $60,000/year for the naming rights to the Buffalo Bills football stadium.
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The United States boycotts the Summer Olympics in Moscow.
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CNN is launched by Turner Cable Network. It is the first all news network.
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Prince Charles and Diana Spencer are married on international television.
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The first IBM-Personal Computers (PC’s) are available for retail.
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Music Television (MTV) debuts.
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Michael Jackson's "Thriller" sells 20 million albums to become the largest selling record ever.
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The first compact disc is released.
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The Olympics became commercialized, and made profitable for the first time under the leadership of Peter Ueberoth.
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Nintendo home entertainment system is introduced.
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Time and Warner merge to become Time Warner Inc.
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First television program delivered via the Internet (webcast).
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The Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia is bombed.